Philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

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Transcript of Philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Middle Ages AD 400- 1500 between the downfall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance Three distinct periods:Dark Ages: 400-1000High Middle Ages: 1000-1300Later Middle Ages: 1300-1500 Renaissance 1300-1650, following Middle Ages Cultural movement Northern Italy rest of EuropeCulture, Science, Literature and Art transformationsBegan to question previous ideas and philosophies on viewing worldLed to discovery of...St. Augustine 354-430Born in North African region of Tagaste First major medieval philosopher Philosophized about faith, certainty, divine illumination, time, evil, human will, and foreknowledge Later Middle Ages: 1300-1500 Economic stagnation, wars, and Black Plague Unity of Catholic church also came under fire Brought middle ages as a whole to an end High Middle Ages: Dark Ages:Renaissance HumanismDominant philosophy Individualism and recognizing man's worthShifted from Middle Ages Philosophy of... Christianity and power of Church Skepticism- curiosity, doubting previous ideasFocus on present dayAfterlifeEducation-more professionsLiving content, independent life!Renaissance Humanism LiteraturePetrarch-classical literature15th century-Greek textsNew ideasBiblical texts in original languagesLeads to discrepancies with Catholic ChurchLiterature expands to classical ideas and theater tells storiesLess religiousRenaissance HumanismScienceCuriosity and Experimentation widely accepted, leads to...Empirical Method-new scientific outlookBasing knowledge on observationUsing your senses too!Used to make new discoveriesInnovations spread of new ideasArtRenaissance HumanismMiddle AgesTheology basedSaints- halosHeavenHieratic ScaleGold BackgroundLess interested in depicting Church and religionHalos disappearOrdinary peopleNatural LandscapesPerspective shown through: mathematical formulas and oil paintFaithStarting point of Augustine's philosophy relation between faith and reason"Faith seeking understanding" CertaintyThere are four main areas of knowledge that skeptics cannot even question1. Knowledge of our own existence2. Certainty of math 3. Certainty of logic4. Immediate sense experienceDivine Illumination First, we develop our beliefs on our own, then God illuminates our minds to allow us to know if they are true or not God justifies our beliefs TimeHas no meaning apart from our minds Present is the only time because the past relies on the present and the future does not exist yet Evil God only has an indirect role in the cause of suffering God's goodness means he does no evilGod's justness means he rewards the good and punishes evil Foreknowledge and Human Will Cause of all evil is ......All blame rests on our shoulders, not on Gods Reason for divine punishmentGod's foreknowledge of your choice does not interfere with your freedom

Foreknowledge Morality Desire all things in their appropriate manner Reserve our most supreme desire for God Heavenly city vs. Earthly city EducationNew forms of education emerged in Western EuropeFour main types of educational practicesMonastic SchoolsIndividual "masters"Cathedral schoolsUniversitiesPhilosophyChristianity is seen as the predominant philosophy of lifeIn natural philosophy and philosophy of science, medieval philosophy was strongly influenced by Aristotle No longer a matter of interpreting Aristotle or commenting on the works of "old/new logic"Period of germination and growthBelief in Christian revelation VS approaching Christian truths with reasonNo difference between philosophy and theologyPhilosophy becomes a specialized discipline The problem of:The compatibility of the divine attributesThe compatibility of divine foreknowledge with human free willEvilSt. Thomas AquinasFocused on the notion of beauty Definition of beauty: Beauty is that which gives pleasure when seenIs beauty transcendental?Four primary standards of beautyActualityProportionRadianceIntegrityBeauty resides in the objectBeauty is not a concept in the mind of the beholder imposed onto a given objectIf beauty is objective, then there must be some criteria by which we discover whether something is beautifulBeauty and goodness differ logically Medieval LiteratureThe middle ages saw the beginnings of a rebirth in literatureScholars and poets traveling to the Crusades learned of new writing styles New interest in romantic proseScholars at universities began to question convention and write social commentary and poetic fictionLanguage developed further Books were considered treasuresFables These humorous short stories were the most popular medieval worksEnjoyed by an immense audience Most were developed from earlier folk tales but authors added social commentary into the fable Characters were visible in everyday lifeWhy this was importantTo help round out the spiritual needs of men and womenEx: The Penitential Psalms The Office of the Dead prayer"Book Of Hours"Decline in:CultureTradeEconomyPopulation1000-1300Population increased and intellectual thought was revitalized Emergence of medieval universities:Developed philosophical method scholasticism Blended philosophy and theologyPopular religious book which had a bible verse for each hour of the day, and a calendar showing all the church's feast daysFor 300 years the Book of Hours was the bestseller of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance It was easy and even enjoyable to use Book of HoursThe Book of Hours allowed direct, uninterrupted access to God, and the saintsHow people felt about their Book of Hours is reflected in the varied marks of ownershipVast audience with a shared mindset Book of Hours linked church and homeTransformed one's chamber into a chapelThe Penitential PsalmsRecited to help one resist temptation to commit any of the seven deadly sins"Happy the man whose offense is forgiven, whose sin is remitted. a happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no guile. I kept it secret and my frame was wasted. I groaned all the day long, for night and day your hand was heavy upon me. Indeed, my strength was dried up as by the summer's heal. But now I have acknowledged my sins; my guilt I did not hide."